The Second Life of a Legendary Necromancer

Chapter 6: A Fixture of the Beginner’s Zone (3)

The new skill Yeonwol acquired, “All-Seeing Eye,” was a skill that would be talked about for quite some time in the future.

Proficiency: 1%

Description: The legendary eye left behind by a sage once called the Holy Spirit. It contains all the knowledge of its owner.

It allows one to pierce through the truths and realities of the world, but some of its functions are sealed.

Effect: When used, it consumes 5 MP per second to identify effects, hidden functionalities, and analyze the composition of a target.

Stronger or higher-grade items require greater MP consumption for analysis.

Yeonwol skimmed through the skill description before closing it.

He already knew everything about it anyway.

The explanation was so brief that it might seem like a trash skill at first glance.

Similar functionalities were available in an alchemist’s “Research,” an adventurer’s “Exploration,” or a magician’s “Appraisal” or “Survey” skills.

In fact, their specialized skills even seemed superior in performance because they focused on a single functionality.

But Yeonwol knew better.

“Back in the day, the guy who had this skill wreaked utter havoc.”

The condition to acquire this skill was to be the first to subjugate Kaladoro.

In his previous life, the person who obtained this skill had tremendous luck.

While playing around with a candle at the entrance, he accidentally discovered Kaladoro and ended up acquiring a skill that would later grow to an SSS rank level.

The functionality of that skill was extraordinary.

A player who neither had a hidden class nor a particularly high level used this skill to kill over 300 rankers and thousands of players.

The performance of the skill eventually became absurdly overpowered.

“It was such an annoying skill that it took quite some effort to take him down.”

Thanks to Yeonwol obtaining the skill now, incidents like some nobody massacring 300 rankers with just one skill wouldn’t happen.

“Failing to properly utilize such an amazing skill is also a talent in itself. Now, I’ll make full use of it.”

Having acquired “All-Seeing Eye,” he felt relieved.

First, he hunted Kaladoro and inspected the dropped items.

Most were crafting materials, but one piece of armor caught his attention.

Although it wasn’t particularly good or necessary for now, he returned to the city to put it up for auction.

[Item ‘Kaladoro’s Black Armor’ has been registered in the auction house.]

Afterward, he wandered through various general stores.

“I need to harvest Black Soulgrass, but I’m lacking equipment.”

It could take up to 24 hours for the item he listed for auction to sell.

He couldn’t stand the thought of leaving the Black Soulgrass untouched for that long.

He visited general stores, looking for something useful, until he finally found the right place.

“Welcome. Huh? You’re a newbie?”

The shopkeeper NPC clearly expressed his annoyance upon seeing Yeonwol’s beginner outfit.

If this were just a game world, such a reaction wouldn’t have occurred.

“That NPC is actually a real person. A genuine person from another world.”

Yeonwol approached him.

“I may be a beginner here, but I’ve handled many medicinal items back on Earth.”

“A beginner like you?”

Yeonwol discreetly pressed the [Reveal ID] button after confirming no other users were around.

The change in reaction was immediate as the effects of his fame took hold.

“Hmm, now that I see, you’re a beginner with a certain level of renown.”

“I’ve heard about this place…”

Yeonwol looked around and continued.

“As expected, you’re running low on Hanbangcho. I heard the herbalist you contracted got attacked during an escort mission. Without Hanbangcho, you won’t be able to cater to customers needing shield coatings for their armor or tools.”

“Well, it has been troublesome.”

“I’ll retrieve it for you. In return, lend me some alchemy equipment as a quest reward.”

“Hmm, I don’t usually trust beginners, but since you’re reputable, I’ll trust you. Retrieve the Hanbangcho, and I’ll reward you with some equipment.”

[You have acquired the Easy Quest, “Retrieve Hanbangcho.”]

“Here are a special pickaxe, special hoe, and gloves for extracting magically infused herbs. These are valuable tools with toxin immunity. If you run off with them, you’ll be immediately flagged as wanted. But you seem trustworthy, so I’ll lend them without worry.”

“Understood.”

“Sign the loan form. You can find Hanbangcho in the forest south of the city, near the Persson Campsite. Be careful, as it’s swarming with monsters.”

“Got it.”

Leaving the general store, Yeonwol headed not south but to the northern gate instead.

“I’ll deal with the Hanbangcho later. First, I need to harvest Black Soulgrass.”

The shopkeeper would naturally assume Yeonwol would use the borrowed equipment to gather Hanbangcho. Running off with the tools would only harm himself, after all.

However, once the tools were in his possession, how he used them during the loan period was his choice.

Reaching the northern city walls, Yeonwol clicked his tongue.

There was far more Black Soulgrass here than he had initially noticed.

“To think such a rare medicinal herb is just lying around like this.”

Feeling pleased by the sight of Black Soulgrass scattered across this vast area, Yeonwol crouched down.

Every single blade of this grass was potential experience points or stats.

The same herb that rankers in the future would beg for at exorbitant prices!

However, harvesting this herb wasn’t easy.

If recklessly uprooted, it would immediately lose its potency.

But Yeonwol was confident he wouldn’t waste even a single sprig.

“Today, I’ll clear this place out.”

He resolved not to move from this spot until every visible piece of Black Soulgrass was harvested.

Clang! Clunk! Thud!

Yeonwol diligently struck rocks and soil with his pickaxe and shovel.

Occasionally, some players passed by, but they simply regarded him as odd and moved on.

“Who’s that guy? Isn’t he a beginner?”

“Why’s he gathering weeds?”

“I’ll check it out with my skill. Search Eye! Huh, it’s just grass?”

“Let’s go. Weird beginners are everywhere. Maybe he just likes picking weeds.”

To their eyes, Black Soulgrass appeared as ordinary weeds, so they didn’t pay much attention to Yeonwol’s actions.

Had he been a famous ranker, they might have joined in out of curiosity. But as a beginner, he was ignored.

That was fortunate.

The idea of losing such valuable herbs to other players was intolerable!

On top of that, using the pickaxe seemed to raise his stats.

[Stamina increased by 1.]

When one’s stats were low, repetitive actions like exercise made it easier to gain stat points.

The difficulty of gaining stats through exercise with Strength at 10 was much lower than when it was at 500.

To avoid regretting low stats as a ranker in the future, this kind of grinding as a beginner was essential.

This information was revealed shortly after the game launched by a fitness Eltuber, but not many beginners put in such effort.

Why? Because it’s not fun!

People want to level up immediately rather than think about the future.

Would anyone willingly do exercise in a game when it’s annoying enough in real life?

However, Yeonwol, who knew this world would soon become reality, couldn’t afford to think as lightly as others.

Clang! Clang! Clunk!

Swinging the pickaxe, digging with the shovel, and working with the hoe, he worked through the night and into the morning.

Even though he stayed up all night, he didn’t need to worry about physical fatigue or logging out. After all, time in this world flowed four times faster.

“Phew, finally.”

Having dug through all the rocks near the swamp, Yeonwol propped himself up with the pickaxe and wiped his sweat.

This game, just like reality, included muscle soreness.

Prolonged exertion made him stiff, and he felt his strength waning. His whole body screamed in protest, but he felt refreshed.

“Working all night raised three of my stats.”

On top of that, he successfully harvested every single sprig of Black Soulgrass.

“Even Heo Jun, who found wild ginseng in Mount Jiri, wouldn’t have been as happy as I am.”

He carried the bundle of Black Soulgrass on his back. While it could fit in his inventory, he chose to carry it manually to raise his stats more quickly through the labor.

“Why is that newbie carrying such a big bag?”

“Doesn’t he know about inventories or storage?”

“Surely he’s not doing it on purpose. Is he trying to raise his stats?”

“Is he stupid? He could be hunting and leveling up instead. Rankers said on countless streams that it’s a waste of time.”

Most people knew that hard labor could raise stats.

However, public opinion on stat gains through such tedious work wasn’t favorable yet.

The first reason was that it was just as dirty, hard, and painful as real-life labor.

The second reason was the claim from top rankers: “It’s better to level up quickly and move to higher hunting grounds rather than raising stats through beginner labor!”

At the current stage, the top rankers had all quickly leveled up and surged ahead, so their arguments were somewhat valid for the time being.

However, most of the current top rankers were people Yeonwol didn’t recall.

In other words, they would eventually fall behind due to insufficient stats and drop to the lower ranks.

Yeonwol understood this better than anyone.

Every single stat he painstakingly raised now would shape his distant future.

Carrying the bundle, Yeonwol headed toward the forest.

This time, he intended to gather Hanbangcho for the quest.

Thus, about a day passed.

Thud!

When Yeonwol laid three bundles of Hanbangcho in front of the shopkeeper, the man examined the contents with a surprised expression.

“Wow, this really is Hanbangcho. The quality is excellent… You really are an expert in herbalism, aren’t you?”

Not exactly.

“Yes, I am.”

Still, Yeonwol decided to play along.

“I knew I could judge a person well. To think you’d gather this much Hanbangcho in just a few days!”

In reality, it hadn’t even taken him half a day.

He had simply delayed returning, stopping at various places to gather other herbs, sell auctioned gear, and procure materials from the potion shop. He took his time leisurely.

“There must have been a lot of monsters nearby… Impressive.”

As for the monsters, he could just die a few times if needed.

“Oh, right. I must reward you.”

“I don’t need a reward. Instead, allow me to use your alchemy workstation.”

“Oh, what an upstanding young man!”

[Quest Complete!]

“I’ll lend you all my alchemy tools. I’m curious about what you’ll make, but it’s only proper not to peek at another scholar’s work. Use the workstation as much as you like while I process the Hanbangcho.”

“May I also borrow an alchemy manual?”

“Take as many as you need!”

Humming a tune, the shopkeeper carried the Hanbangcho inside.

He would probably spend the next day grinding and drying the herbs, leaving the alchemy tools free for Yeonwol to use.

Once the potion shop owner left, Yeonwol stretched his wrists and opened the alchemy manuals.

“To perform alchemy, I first need a skill. But even without a skill, if I attempt a flawless mixture and draw the alchemy circle, I can create potions by imbuing mana.”

In his previous life, Yeonwol had been a fairly talented alchemist known for working without much reliance on skills.

“I don’t remember much about Black Soulgrass recipes. But… these manuals should help.”

He quickly speed-read through several manuals, extracting only the necessary information. His speed-reading ability was a great advantage.

Instead of relying on the [Skill Book Acquisition] function, directly reading and internalizing the knowledge gave substantial benefits.

[Wisdom increased by 1.]

Since he already knew most of the content, reviewing it wasn’t difficult.

After thoroughly reading ten alchemy manuals, a message appeared.

[You have met the conditions for the E-Rank class ‘Alchemist.’ Visit the city’s Alchemist Guild and pass the exam to acquire the title!]

The notification confirmed he had completed the class change prerequisites. E-Rank was the lowest grade, the most basic class available in towns and cities.

Being a fundamental class meant its foundations were solid, allowing for excellent growth regardless of its rank.

Even if he changed to a regular alchemist now, he could later switch to a hidden class.

However, it wasn’t the time to take a class yet. He still had many beginner privileges to utilize.

He decisively pressed No and pulled out various herbs, including the Black Soulgrass he had personally collected.

Carefully grinding the Black Soulgrass and mixing it with other herbs and potions, he placed the concoction on the alchemy circle.

Unlike Earth’s chemistry, simply mixing ingredients didn’t produce results here.

Alchemy was literal—combining chemical formulas with mana-driven magic.

Because it fused chemistry and magic, it was difficult to learn, and few players pursued it.

Crackle!!

As Yeonwol injected a small amount of mana, the potion mixture emitted red sparks, and a message promptly appeared.

[Alchemy Successful!]

[You have created the world’s first ‘Black Soul Elixir Pill!’]

[All stats have increased due to your invention of a new alchemical product!]

[Special Skill ‘Basic Alchemy’ has been acquired!]

[The stat ‘Dexterity’ has been generated!]

As expected.

Normally, players would require countless trials and errors to progress in alchemy, but Yeonwol achieved it instantly. His ability to perform alchemy without ‘Skill Support’ made it possible.

Even better, his newly acquired skill started with 3% proficiency.

“If I increase proficiency enough to reach at least Basic Alchemy, I can make better-performing elixirs.”

But he couldn’t afford to save the Black Soulgrass until then.

These kinds of pills were most effective when consumed at lower levels.

“The shopkeeper will take at least a day to process the Hanbangcho bundles completely.”

This meant Yeonwol could use the alchemy tools for at least a day. To that end, he had deliberately prepared an abundance of Hanbangcho.

“I don’t have an alchemic recipe, but it’s all stored in my head.”

A flash of light accompanied the alchemical reaction, resulting in a much higher-quality Black Soul Elixir Pill.

[Alchemy Grand Success!]

[Spirit +1, Wisdom +1]

“…!”

Yeonwol’s eyes widened.

Alchemy had a chance to fail and a very slim chance of achieving a grand success.

In the case of a grand success, the resulting product was significantly more potent, and there was a rare chance for stats like Spirit and Wisdom, crucial for magician classes, to increase.

“This is it.”

He felt a thrilling rush.

The higher the failure rate, the more euphoric the success.

And not just a simple success—continuous messages of “Grand Success” made him feel as though he could soar.

“This is fun.”

This was the feeling he had been missing.

After the world plunged into ruin, alchemy had been used solely for combat.

He much preferred using alchemy to create something rather than using it to kill.

The electrifying sensation of creating something that had never existed before could only be understood by those who experienced it.

Completely engrossed, Yeonwol lost track of time, oblivious to the sun setting and the moon rising.

And finally.

“Ha…”

When he finished synthesizing all the Black Soul Elixir Pills, he sat down, sweating profusely.

“So, it’s finally done.”

“…!”

Hearing the shopkeeper’s voice from behind, he turned around hurriedly.

“Oh, have you finished already?”

“Already? My dear, I finished two days ago.”

“Two days?”

“You’ve been working on alchemy here, day and night, for three days straight without rest. I’ve never seen anyone so focused in my life. You were so absorbed that I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt.”

“Ah… I apologize.”

“No need to apologize. I once had a passion for alchemy myself, but I gave up. Watching someone so immersed makes me envious. Being able to throw yourself into something with such intensity is a blessing.”

As Yeonwol swallowed and stood, the shopkeeper asked him to wait.

The shopkeeper then brought out a small case from a corner.

[Battle Alchemist Kit]

It was a portable mini-alchemy lab.

When unfolded, it became a small desk with tools and equipment.

A perfect item for user alchemists who couldn’t always stay in their labs!

In his previous life, Yeonwol had used the [Battlemaster Alchemist Kit], the top-tier combat alchemy kit.

“Here, take this. As someone who once dreamed of being an alchemist but gave up, I feel compelled to give this to you.”

The unexpected gift made Yeonwol’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Don’t feel too burdened. It’s a present for a promising young alchemist.”

Though Yeonwol had no intention of pursuing alchemy as a career, he accepted the gift with gratitude.

“Go rest now. I hope to see you again. You may be called a beginner now, but I can see you’ll achieve greatness.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

Yeonwol expressed his thanks, stretched, and exited the general store.

A wave of exhaustion hit him like a storm.

It had been a long time since he had worked so tirelessly, unaware of how drained his body and mind were.

“…Alchemy is fun, but…”

He had to give up on alchemy in this life.

“My path is already decided.”

He had to find a hidden class related to death—the Necromancer.